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Category — movies
Legally Blonde (2001)
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(4/5) romantic comedy
Reference: 
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes (68%) | Metacritic (59%)
Golden Globe nominated Legally Blonde (2001) introduced me to two of my favourite (and two of the prettiest) contemporary actresses, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. Despite its quirkiness, I laughed a lot an
d really it (it’s sequel Legally Blonde 2 (2003) - not so much). I saw it at the cinema when it first came out, again on DVD a few years ago and was happy to watch it once again when it was broadcast in HD on abc this evening.
In Legally Blonde (2001), after being dumped by her Harvard Law-bound boyfriend (Warren), fashion merchandising major Elle Woods (Reese) (with a 4.0 GPA) decides to make an unlikely application to Harvard Law School to impress upon him that she is marriage material. While very blonde (Reese sports some 40 different hairstyles in the film), Elle’s definitely not dumb!
Tags: ali larter, linda cardellini, luke wilson, reese witherspoon, selma blair
Digg 
Del.icio.us Batman Begins (2005)
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(4.5/5) action, super-hero, thriller
Reference: 
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes (84%) | Metacritic (70)
This is a very good movie.
I watched Batman Begins (2005) for the second time both to prepare for The Dark Night (2008), and to test HD Internet movie downloads through my Apple TV (review coming soon). I was impressed when I saw it in the theatre back in 2005 and was impressed once again.
As a child Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) witnessed the murder of his parents. We discover him years later in an Asian jail as part of his ‘exploration of the criminal
fraternity’. Ducard (Liam Neeson) urges Wayne to follow his master, Ra’s Al Ghul (a cameo role played by Ken Watanabe), to become more than just a vigilante. Ducard promises, that as a member of the ‘League of Shadows”, Wayne will learn to combat his fears, combat evil - and become a legend. That’s how Batman begins!
Tags: christian bale, christopher nolan, gary oldman, katie holmes, liam neeson, micahel caine, morgan freeman, tom wilkinson
Libeled Lady (1936)
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(3.5/5) - screwball comedy, romance
Reference: | | TCM
Reviews: IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes (80%)
While deftly putting off an inevitable marriage to his fiance (played by Jean Harlow), in Libeled Lady (1936) the editor of a New York paper (Spencer Tracy) hires a reluctant former employee (William Powell) to seduce the daughter of the owner of a rival publication (Myrna Loy) to ward off a libel suit.
Libeled Lady is one of 14 films starring the wonderful Powell and Loy duo. Ironically it lost the 1936 Best Picture Oscar to another of their collaborations, The Great Ziegfeld (1936). TCM’s Robert Osborne believes Libeled Lady was the better of the two. (Having not yet seen Ziegfeld, I’ll reserve judgment).
While Powell and Loy are one of the most famous onscreen couples in movie history, at the time this movie was being made Powell and Harlow (19 years his junior) were engaged to be married. Sadly, Harlow died of kidney failure just two years later at the age of 26.
Tags: jean harlow, myrna loy, powell-loy, spencer tracy, william powell
Evelyn Prentice (1934)
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(3/5) drama, mystery, romance
William Powell and Myrna Loy are second only to Tracy and Hepburn in the pantheon of my favourite classic movie on-screen couples. They appeared together in 14 films over 13 years, the most famous of which were the widely popular (in their time) “Thin Man” series.
In Evelyn Prentice a workaholic lawyer (played by Powell) is too busy for his young wife and child. As the relationship is strained, Loy spends an increasing amount of time with a womanizing poet intent on blackmailing her.
Evelyn Prentice (1934) came out in the same year as the first Thin Man movie. What made the Thin Man and its successors so delicious for me was the terrific chemistry between the two. That couple was clearly, absolutely and deeply in love with each other. Their witty banter and repartee combined with mutual respect and equality was uncharacteristic of the era.
Their relationship in Evelyn Prentice, a very different kind of movie, is only a hint of what it is in the Thin Man series.
Tags: myrna loy, powell-loy, rosalind russell, william powell
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
(2/5) sci-fi, mystery
There isn’t much to say about The X-Files: I want to Believe (2008).
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as Mulder and Scully. Despite undeniable chemistry, their relationship is as confused as ever. Fresh off the failure of the terrific Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the always enjoyable Amanda Peet gives a passably respectable performance as an FBI agent.
Unlike the first X-Files movie (The X-Files: Resist or Serve (2004)), there are no aliens of any kind. Instead, this one takes the viewer down the paranormal X-Files track. A convicted child molester priest (played by Billy Connolly) uses his visions to help the FBI track down a missing agent. Without spoiling anything, I found the resolution to the mystery to be preposterous.
But for the chance to hang out with a buddy I hadn’t seen in awhile I never would have wasted my time with this movie. Disappointed by the first X-Files movie, I didn’t “want to believe”, and was vindicated in that view. There are any number of TV episodes that were better than this movie.
If you enjoyed the TV series, you’ll probably enjoy the movie when it reaches the rental window. If you are not a fan, my recommendation is to wait for it to come out on TV or skip it altogether.
Reference: |
Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes | metacritic.com
Tags: amanda peet, billy connolly, david duchovny, gillian anderson, x-files
Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (2000)
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(3/5) sci-fi, thriller
While I enjoyed Vin Diesel in Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Boiler Room (2000), I became a fan after watching his unexpectedly good performance in xXx (2001).
In 2004 I discovered, Vin Diesel’s cross-media Chronicles of Riddick franchise after playing the terrific Xbox video-game Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher’s Bay (2004) (“Butchers Bay”). The video game serves as a prequel to the movie that is the subject of this review - Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (2000) (“Pitch Black”). The third work of this series, the movie The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) (“Chronicles of Riddick”), is a sequel to Pitch Black (I haven’t formally reviewed it on The Daleisphere. It is about on par with Pitch Black).
Somewhat confusingly, the sequel movie, Chronicles of Riddick, came out at the same time as the prequel video game, Butcher’s Bay - and both came out four years after Pitch Black. To confuse things further, the developers of Butchers Bay (Starbreeze Studios) are developing a remake of Butcher’s Bay for the Xbox 360 and PS3 with a different name: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (due out in late 2008 or 2009). Confusion notwithstanding, playing the critically acclaimed video game before watching either of the the not-so-acclaimed Pitch Black or Chronicles of Riddick , made both movies more understandable and enjoyable.
Back to the movie at hand: Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (2000).
Until today, Pitch Black was the only part of the series I had not experienced. When I discovered that the HD version was available on Apple TV [review coming soon], I chose to download and view it as my inaugural Apple TV rental test. I wasn’t disappointed.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
(4/5) - fantasy, super-hero, action, sci-fi
2008 is the summer of super heroes. First came the terrific Iron Man, then Ed Norton’s Incredible Hulk and Will Smith’s Hancock. The Dark Knight (Christian Bale’s Batman) comes out soon. And then there’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
I was surprised how much I liked the original Hellboy (2004). This second treat did not catch me off guard. While the beginning was a bit slow, the wonderful second half made the movie very enjoyable. The movie is Marvel comics meets Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars.
In Hellboy II Selma Blair and Ron Perlman are a bickering, but seemingly happy, married couple. What can I say, I melt a bit whenever I see Selma. She’s a Dale-type through and through. Perlman’s performance captivated me in the second instalment as much as the first. Perlman, Blair and their comrades must save the world from trolls and elves that have broken a millennial long truce between man and elf - or some such thing.
Frankly, the plot didn’t much matter to me. What made this movie wondrous were the breathtaking special effects by Guillermo del Toro who did both Hellboys as well as the Oscar winning Pan’s Labyrinth. The CGI and cinematography are as magical as Hollywood can produce. I wanted to pause and rewind the scenes to examine the excruciatingly detailed beauty. What an imagination this man has. This quote from Variety’s review is apt:
Not to disparage the f/x guys, but what’s onscreen in Hellboy II is all about the seismic eruptions in del Toro’s head. Comparing his work to most fantasy cinema is like comparing cave drawings to the Cathedral of Cologne.
Tags: anna walton, guillermo del toro, Hellboy, Ron Perlman, selma blair
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
(5/5) - animation, action, comedy
Kung Fu Panda is a beautiful, vibrant, original and, dare I say, inspirational, movie. I had high expectations going in and they were exceeded.
With a few notable exceptions (Nacho Libre) I’ve enjoyed pretty much every movie I’ve seen that featured Jack Black. This role, which seemed written for him, is no exception.
Animated features are hardly a novelty these days. We take their high production values for granted. Yet this Dreamworks production is a notch above. It has an authentic Chinese and kung-fu look and feel. The directors and artists pay particular attention to the details of Chinese architecture, painting, sculpture and philosophy. The colours are more vibrant, more real than usual. It ‘feels’ warmer and more believable. During the movie I noted to myself that this movie should be well received in China. It’s as close to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as an animated movie can get.
It’s funny. I laughed out loud many times. With one exception (hint, there’s a Nacho Libre reference) it does not rely on the inside-Hollywood humour that has become common in animated movies. Instead, the movie’s original story stands on its own.
Tags: angelina jolie, dreamworks, dustin hoffman, jack black, kung fu panda
The Sea of Grass (1947)
(2.5/5) drama, western
In The Sea of Grass, a cultured Katharine Hepburn leaves big town St. Louis to marry a New Mexican cattle baron Spencer Tracy. When Tracy’s character, who spends more time with his cattle and prairie than is lonely wife, is unable to accept the inevitable settlement of the west, Hepburn is drawn to Tracy’s nemesis, a lawyer (later a judge) played by Melvyn Douglas, who assists homesteaders pressing their land claims against Tracy’s violent control over government-owned land.
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are my all-time favourite recurring on-screen couple (followed by Myrna Loy & William Powell, then Bogey & Bacall). Over 25 years they made nine films together. This, their fourth, was the seventh I’ve seen - and my least favourite.
Their performances were generally fine, though spotty in some places. Hepburn’s is better than Tracy’s, who seemed to be phoning-it-in in too many places. I don’t think Tracy was convincing as a cattle baron. Any number of actors of that era would have been a better choice. Gary Cooper and Clark Gable come immediately to mind. Too much of the plot is not believable. Much does not make sense.
Tags: Katharine Hepburn, melvyn douglas, spencer tracy, tracy-hepburn
Wall-E (2008)
(3/5) - animation, comedy
Perhaps with all the non-stop publicity and, dare I say, hype, surrounding this movie, my expectations were set too high. Wall-E did not meet my expectations. It’s just an OK movie. The story was unoriginal pabulum, that should, nonetheless, be entertaining for a family that is looking for a safe summertime viewing experience.
Reviewers have mentioned that the movie is a strong critique on consumerism. Yawn! I think it is more of a commentary on a lazy society’s willingness to be lead around like lemmings which, perhaps, includes to movies like Wall-E.
Wall-E is the lone, and lonely, remnant of a humanity that abandonned earth for the stars centuries before. 
I laughed a few times, but spent most of the movie thinking about how board I was and trying to understand what everyone saw in this movie. Every scene is predictable. Nothing to delight in that hasn’t been done before. As for the scene pictured on the right, rather than being enchanted with the ‘dancing in space’ routine, all I could think about was “how long will the fire extinguisher last?”
Pixar’s production was typically ‘pixar-perfect’. But a well-made movie without much of story doesn’t a good movie make. Wall-E is about on par with Pixar’s lesser-movies Toy Story 2 (1999), A Bug’s Life (1998) and Monsters Inc (2001). The Incredibles (2004) (the best of them all), Toy Story 1 (1995), Finding Nemo (2003) (the 2nd best), Cars (2006) and even Ratatouille (2007) were all better Pixar movies than Wall-E.
There were, however, two exceptional aspects to my Wall-E viewing experience. First, I paid $13 for a ticket - the most I’ve spent on a movie ticket in my life. Second, it was the first digitally projected movie I’ve ever seen.
Tags: digital projection, pixar, wall-e
Vertigo (1958)
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(5/5) drama, mystery, romance, thriller
In Vertigo (1958) a retired police officer played by Jimmy Stewart is forced to confront his dizzying fear of heights (vertigo) in order to solve a mystery.
A friend’s wife, played by Kim Novak, is suffering from a form of dissociative fugue (sudden personality changes combined with travel to non-customary places and the inability to recall what happened). As she wanders off, she behaves as though she’s embodied an ancestor that committed suicide a century earlier. The husband hires Stewart to follow her around to both protect her and to be sure of her illness before committing her to a sanitarium.
As Stewart becomes increasingly infatuated with Novak, a love triangle forms. His not-so-secretly-in-love-with-him buddy, played by Barbara Bel Geddes, becomes increasingly concerned over Stewart’s new obsession.
Stewart was 50 when this movie was made. Novak and Geddes were 25 and 36 respectively. As a 43 year old male, I like to fantasize that women in their mid-twenties to mid 30’s will be attracted to me when I’m 50. But, alas, this only happens in the movies. 
A Post Card from 1958 San Francisco
Vertigo is shot in and around 1958 San Francisco. The city and surrounding countryside play integral roles in the plot. A first kiss at Cypress Point is punctuated with a wave crashing to the shore. A flock of birds takes off from the lagoon as the characters stroll past the Palace of Fine Arts. Coit Tower stands prominently outside the windows of both Stewart’s and Geddes’ apartments. The streets of San Francisco are constantly highlighted as Stewart follows Novak around.
Tags: alfred hitchcock, barbara bel beddes, Jimmy stewart, kim novak, vertigo
Sydney Pollack - An Appreciation
Categories: movies, personalities
I liked Sydney Pollack. I really liked him. My first memory of him was his performance in Tootsie (1982). For years Sydney essentially played the same character over and over - usually a strong, no-nonsense, humane executive, agent, or ‘all-business’ leader type. But, unlike some actors who do that, Michael Caine for example, I’ve never grown tired of it.
I’ve enjoyed watching him interviewed on Charlie Rose a half dozen times. I’ve followed him in the press. He seemed like a really nice guy - certainly intelligent, highly respected and very good at what he did.
He was consistently good in Tootsie (1982), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Random Hearts (1999), Changing Lanes (2002), The Interpreter (2005) and Michael Clayton (2007).
Of course he was also a producer and a terrific director. Actually a better director than he was an actor having directed The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Electric Horseman (1979), Absence of Malice (1981), Tootsie (1982), Out of Africa (1985), The Firm (1993) the remake of Sabrina (1995) (though the original was better), Random Hearts (1999), and The Interpreter (2005) among many others. Not all were great but most were very good.
Without a doubt he was a top-tier Hollywood director but I’ll miss his on screen performances the most.
Reference: | | Appearances on Charlie Rose
Tags: obituary, Sydney Pollack
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
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(1.5/5) drama, war
My TiVo has learned that I’m a classic movie fan. It recently recorded The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) as a suggestion for me off the Turner Classic Movie channel. I decided to watch it on the strength of William Holden’s excellent prior performances in Stalag 17 (1953), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Sabrina (1954) and Wild Bunch (1969) - but despite his part in Sunset Boulevard, a well regarded classic movie that I did not like.
In The Bridges at Toko-Ri, William Holden plays a lawyer-turned-naval-fighter-pilot in the Korean war, reluctant to fly an important mission.
He is married to the incomparable Grace Kelly (best in Too Catch a Thief (1955), Rear Window (1954) and Dial M for Murder (1954)). Kelly is certainly one of the most beautiful actresses that ‘graced’ the silver screen. She was in her prime in 1954. Her best movies (this not being one of them) were all made in 1954 and 1955.
Tags: grace kelly, William Holden
The Reaping (2007)
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![1.5-rating[2]](http://www.daleisphere.com/wp-content/uploads/15-rating2.png){kind=small}
(1.5/5) horror, suspense
Despite my general aversion to horror films, my deep admiration for Hilary Swank compelled me to watch what I expected in advance to be a dog of a film. And a dog it was.
In The Reaping, Hilary plays a previously ordained minister who turned away from the cloth after her daughter was killed in an African mission. She has become a renowned expert at debunking miracles and scientifically explaining away plagues believed to be the work of the devil.
When a boy dies in the bible-belt, a young girl (AnnaSophia Robb), believed by the town-folk to be possessed by the devil, is blamed. Hilary is called in to solve the mystery when the river turns blood-red.
Tags: annasophia robb, Hilary Swank
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
(5/5) action, adventure
I had a silly Indiana grin on my face as I strode out of the cinema whistling the John Williams theme song. Did I like it? Yes indeed.
“Too Much of Life is Wasted in the Waiting”
This quote from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(2008) sums things up nicely. It has been a long 19 year wait since Indy and his father rode off into the sunset (literally) at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 
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I liked it despite a questionable plot, err, ‘twist’. It held fast to the winning Indy formula:
exotic locals, James-Bond-style action sequences, beautiful cinematography, ancient treasure hunts, pictogram puzzle solving, the supernatural, wise-cracking quizzical humour, whips and guns, hero vs. villain, feisty and reluctant love interest, implausible, yet engaging, fantastical story, snappy (and sappy) dialogue, snakes, critters and Harrison Ford’s trademark grin.
Harrison was Harrison. A flawless performance despite 19 intervening years. It was great to have Karen Allen reprise her role as Indy’s original love interest Marion. I asked in my recap what happened to Marion? The Crystal Skull neatly answered the question and tied it up in a bow. Cate Blanchett played a wonderfully eccentric and strangely sexy KGB agent. Shia LaBeouf (a relative unknown to me) adequately played Marion’s son and adventurer in training. The happy-go-lucky Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody) passed away in 1992 so Jim Broadbent ably stood in for him as the dean of Indy’s college. If you look closely you’ll see a picture of Elliot hanging on a hall wall. But, you won’t have to look closely to see a statue of him. Sadly Sean Connery, chose not to come out of retirement to reprise his role as Dr. Jones Sr.
The cinematography, music, special effects, lighting and costumes were all spot on. It was Spielberg’s and Lucas’s ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ movie, and it worked.
Another fun romp. Go see it in a cinema, where it was meant to be seen.
Reference: Roger Ebert | IMDB External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
Tags: cate blanchett, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones, Jim Broadbent, Karen Allen
Indiana Jones Trilogy Recap & Mini Reviews
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(5/5) action, adventure
In preparation for the much anticipated North American release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (1998), due out tomorrow (May 22, 2008), over the last week I watched the original Indiana Jones trilogy for the first time since their cinematic release. Alongside the original Star Wars Trilogy [
], the Matrix Trilogy [] and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy [], The Adventures of Indiana Jones [] is one of the all-time great trilogies. I enjoyed them as much as I did when I first watched them years ago. They are true classics.
Each movie in the series follows the tried-and-true Indiana Jones formula: exotic locations, James-Bond-style action sequences, beautiful cinematography, ancient treasure hunts, the supernatural, wise-cracking quizzical humour, hero vs. anti-hero, reluctant love interests, implausible, yet engaging, fantastical stories, snappy dialogue, snakes, critters and Harrison Ford’s trademark grin.
John Williams brilliant Oscar winning Indiana Jones soundtracks are pleasantly seared into my brain from years of repeated listening and from the thirty or so enjoyable hours I spent playing the under-appreciated Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb video game on my original Xbox.
To bring you up-to-date, below are mini-reviews for each of the three original Indy movies followed by a reminder summary of how they all ended.
Tags: Geoge Lucas, Harrison Ford, sean connery, Steven Spielberg